Motley Fool story - Tesla Replacement Part Delays

[seclinton]

Stop blaming the body shops. My car's timeline of posts show it was torn down and parts ordered in less than 2 weeks after the accident. Even a supplemental order was placed by wk4. I even ordered RFS in February, and that parts kit shipped almost immediately.

Fact is the stamping and supplier lines are focused on production, not legacy or warranty parts. It's a gap in the business model and will take time to fix. I understand that. And thankfully, for the eager and persistent, once you find the way to make the squeaky noise (media attn; getting insider direct phone numbers; going to Deer Creek lobby; making a scene at the factory service dept,...i digress) will tend to unstick parts.

I don't expect an apology, I'm happy to get my car back tomorrow and start shopping for Model S #2 after taxes are done next week. Won't drive anything but Tesla. Still the best car on the road to me.

As for 3rd parties, hello job boom in the midwest. Places like Johnson Controls Automotive, Magna, etc..have underutilized plants all over Michigan (at least in Holland). Any one or two of them could contract to invest in aluminum stamping lines and start churning out parts WITH QUALITY. I've walked those lines where Buick headliners are stamped two lines down from where on one side of the aisle a Ford Explorer door panel is molded and the other side is for Mercedes. Flexible tooling lines, JIT methodology, and well tuned to the high volume demand of line-down penalties.

 

[hybridbear]

In the event of an accident, I'd be much more concerned that my family is riding in a safe car as opposed to an easy car to repair.

I agree, but we shouldn't have to make that choice. A Tesla should be both safe & easy to repair.

 

[nnick01]

I'm not sure how Tesla runs their operations but coming from an automotive supplier background I can understand how this is probably happening.

Do tell

 

[somnambule]

In the event of an accident, I'd be much more concerned that my family is riding in a safe car as opposed to an easy car to repair.

But after the accident, you are forced to drive around in some "unsafe" rental car for 4-12 months while your "safe" car is in the body shop. Isn't that a concern?

 

[182RG]

As for 3rd parties, hello job boom in the midwest. Places like Johnson Controls Automotive, Magna, etc..have underutilized plants all over Michigan (at least in Holland). Any one or two of them could contract to invest in aluminum stamping lines and start churning out parts WITH QUALITY.

This assumes EM is willing to relinquish this level of control. This would be a significant shift in philosophy for Tesla as an organization.

 

[Barry]

So does this mean the solution is, if you own a Tesla, you should also have a beater car sitting around as backup in case your Tesla is either a) in the service department for warranty issues, or b) stuck at the body shop for months on end?

This is what I've done. I have a 10 year old Toyota SUV. It pretty much costs me nothing to own, as the second car insurance discount almost covers its cost. I drive it once a month or so, just to get the tires rolling and the juices flowing. Put gas in it last week, for the first time in almost 6 months. What a distasteful process

Interestingly, the subject of the Motley Fool article used the same body shop I did last year. My car was gone for almost 3 months. One difference is I actually spoke with someone at tesla's parts dept and confirmed the parts were on backorder, so it wasn't the shop's fault.

Kudos to the OP for getting the needed publicity to address this problem.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Interestingly, the subject of the Motley Fool article used the same body shop I did last year. My car was gone for almost 3 months. One difference is I actually spoke with someone at tesla's parts dept and confirmed the parts were on backorder, so it wasn't the shop's fault.

My car was at the same body shop for two weeks last month. Supposedly the parts were already in stock. The SC work order was closed after a week so I was able to connect to my car and see it every day but didn't see anything happen to the car until the 11th day. I suppose it's possible they didn't have all of the parts in stock and had to wait for additional parts. I don't know the whole story concerning parts for my car...but it did take 15 days just to swap the hatch.

 

[seclinton]

This assumes EM is willing to relinquish this level of control. This would be a significant shift in philosophy for Tesla as an organization.

Sure. Ask Apple how that worked out. Outsourcing mfg and supervise every aspect of quality. Not an issue in Tier 1 circles.

I'm not even suggesting whole hog contract manufacturing, just some basic parts where you will need an overage or extra capacity to feed the sustaining/post sale replacement market. Stamping a hood, tailgate or rear quarterpanel isn't some mysterious technology. tesla uses a used stamping machine to churn those parts out already, it's just painted red and given some goofy name. Quite massive to see on the factory tour

 

[Motomania]

Stop blaming the body shops. My car's timeline of posts show it was torn down and parts ordered in less than 2 weeks after the accident. Even a supplemental order was placed by wk4. I even ordered RFS in February, and that parts kit shipped almost immediately.

Fact is the stamping and supplier lines are focused on production, not legacy or warranty parts. It's a gap in the business model and will take time to fix. I understand that. And thankfully, for the eager and persistent, once you find the way to make the squeaky noise (media attn; getting insider direct phone numbers; going to Deer Creek lobby; making a scene at the factory service dept,...i digress) will tend to unstick parts.

I don't expect an apology, I'm happy to get my car back tomorrow and start shopping for Model S #2 after taxes are done next week. Won't drive anything but Tesla. Still the best car on the road to me.

As for 3rd parties, hello job boom in the midwest. Places like Johnson Controls Automotive, Magna, etc..have underutilized plants all over Michigan (at least in Holland). Any one or two of them could contract to invest in aluminum stamping lines and start churning out parts WITH QUALITY. I've walked those lines where Buick headliners are stamped two lines down from where on one side of the aisle a Ford Explorer door panel is molded and the other side is for Mercedes. Flexible tooling lines, JIT methodology, and well tuned to the high volume demand of line-down penalties.

-
Or some aftermarket company needs to get their hands on a model S and a model 3; duplicate sheetmetal parts and if they can make those parts readily available; they can price them the same as the OE part and it would be like printing money.
-
Heck; even if said aftermarket sheetmetal needs a little tweaking at the bodyshop for a proper fit; at least it's available.

 

[abasile]

With all due respect, what is your point?

That it's ok for a Tesla to be in a body shop for 12 months because it' a safe car to drive?

Why can't Tesla owners have BOTH?

A safe car.. and accessible parts for repairs... Let's not "normalize" this..

I'm sorry to see all of the frustration here. I do hope to see Tesla make things right for those who've experienced horrible delays with parts.

My point is that, at least in my opinion, Tesla cars remain very much worth buying even though this issue exists.

And yes, of course we want both safety and accessible parts for repairs. But we're keeping our Model S, and we're not going to let this issue stop us from taking delivery of a Model 3 when the time comes.

 

[Pdub2015]

Before I joined TMC, most of my Tesla info came from open press. Most good, some bad, and then there is seekingalpha which is pure hogwash. I appreciate this info being blasted out there, and it's far from click bait.

This issue isn't isolated or temporary - it's common and persistent. Personally, I don't question the motivations of the author, because his info is on the website. He works at TMF, owns TSLA stock, and was previously employed at Tesla. Sure there's a possibility of bias, but if you were without your car for 7 months, had a soapbox, and a loud megaphone within ear shot of Elon Musk, wouldn't you use it too?

I admit I didn't read the article, so I didn't know the writer's background. Thank you for answering my question to the writer. Would I have done the same, if I were in the same position? I believe I would, and I agree with you that there may still be a possibility of bias in choosing to do so.

And I can very easily question your agenda.

But at some point if you only trust the people who say what you want to hear, the problem is not with them.

You certainly can question my agenda, particularly since you know very little about me. But I'm not the one posting news articles about Tesla, so whatever my agenda may be, it's only directed to a very small audience.

Note though, that I was not questioning the accuracy or veracity of what was written; I questioned why the writer chose to publish a story about service issues in a financial news publication? Had I bothered to actually read the article and the writer's bio, I would have had my answer and would not have bothered to post my question. So my apologies to all for wasting your time.

Well, all except 182RG...

 

[Pdub2015]

The writer of the piece works for Motley Fool. It's fully disclosed in his profile on TMF. I appreciate him publishing the piece.

...and here's where I diverge from you with "proud shareholder" in your sig. You're a hair away from pimping TSLA, and blurting out "SHORT!", right? Publish your nonsense in the appropriate section of TMC, and leave info and tech alone here.

No, your speculation about me is wrong. And I do not appreciate your tone.

 

[NewCow]

tesla uses a used stamping machine to churn those parts out already, it's just painted red and given some goofy name. Quite massive to see on the factory tour

lol funny because it's true

 

[Tam]

Tesla says it’s ‘actively working to improve service’ in body shop network, eliminating low performers

It sounds like Tesla is blaming the body shop for being a low performer.

It threatens to get rid of low performers which means there will be none in the Denver area.

 

[voltaren]

Thank you for answering my question to the writer.

You're welcome. Thank you for reading the article.

 

[Sir Guacamolaf]

Tesla says it’s ‘actively working to improve service’ in body shop network, eliminating low performers

It sounds like Tesla is blaming the body shop for being a low performer.

It threatens to get rid of low performers which means there will be none in the Denver area.

Tesla's response is frankly disheartening.

They are pointing fingers instead of taking ownership of the problem.
And they are addressing that one isolated case, instead of addressing the actual problem.

Elon musk just tweeted a 100 day challenge - for batteries.
Elon Musk on Twitter

I'd like to see him tweet something like that for repairs.
Your car repaired in 7 days, or we give you a replacement until your car is fixed, or something like that.

More and more, I feel all their impetus is on selling new and zero on supporting existing owners.
And the only way existing owners will get some attention is by educating prospective owners of these real issues in tesla ownership.

Hit 'em where it hurts - new sales.

 

[tchockie]

got rear ended while stopped at a red light the day after i picked up my car. going on 6 months now in the shop. i'm told it's close but they've been saying that for a month.

i have a long ranting venting post of frustration ready to post here after all the legal issues of my case is settled.

but god damn this has been such a frustrating time. and salt in the wound is all the new teslas in my city these days.

sigh.

 

[hpartsch]

got rear ended while stopped at a red light the day after i picked up my car. going on 6 months now in the shop. i'm told it's close but they've been saying that for a month.

i have a long ranting venting post of frustration ready to post here after all the legal issues of my case is settled.

but god damn this has been such a frustrating time. and salt in the wound is all the new teslas in my city these days.

sigh.

Just curious, what year is your car?

 

[JonMc]

Hi everyone –

This week, the service team hit a global customer service satisfaction record. The team has done a fantastic job on what we control currently: our own service centers. We’re now turning our efforts on the centers we don’t control: accident repairs in body shops.

The body shop in the OP article did not begin repairs on the car for three months and then ordered more than 90 parts and took over seven months to repair the car. Neither of those are indicators of competence. To top it off, they blamed their performance on Tesla. We know from complaints that the body shop experience needs to get a lot better – and fast.

What the service team has done so far is a roadmap of how we’re going to fix the autobody experience. Wait times for appointments measured in hours and a handful of days currently. We’re providing same-day service from the Bay Area to Oslo and everywhere in between. In fact, almost 20% of jobs in our flagship center in Palo Alto are handled before the customer can finish their cup of coffee (yes, you read that correctly).

Thankfully, only a handful of our owners experience accidents each year. Since customers schedule and interface with the body shops on their own, we’re largely blind to the service pace.

Most of the customer complaints about body shops mentioned parts, so we focused on this issue. To date, we’ve reduced backlog by over 80%.

Even though we reduced part wait times, we continued to dig into the body shop complaints. What we found was astounding – cars sat at body shops for weeks and sometimes months before the body shops took action and, more often than not, the body shops blaming Tesla for parts delays were the very shops that hadn’t even ordered parts or started the repair.

We are applying brute force to this immediately. We will have individuals on our team personally manage each car on behalf of our customers that are in 3rd party body shops.

We’re also going to increase our approved shop count by 300 over the next few weeks as well as eliminating poor performing shops.

If you have an issue with a shop, please PM me directly and our team will advocate and manage your repair.

Tesla owners will get the service they expect from us – period.

Thanks to the entire service team for their commitment to setting the highest standard for service in the industry,

Jon

 

[voltaren]

Jon

Mic' dropped.